Events: Saturday, June 1, 2013

Now that it’s getting sunnier outside, here’s a chance to get to know your neighbourhood (or somebody else’s neighbourhood) at Kingston Road Spring Fest. Here, you’ll find art shows, live music, and of course food from the shops and businesses that make up Kingston Road Village. This will take place between Fallingbrook Road and Hannaford Avenue (along Kingston Road).

It might seem like a longshot, but hey, anything’s possible! In honour of Bike Month 2013, cyclists are inviting the mayor himself to join the city for a Saturday bike ride in an event called Rob Ford Rides the City. But even if the mayor’s a no-show, there’s still plenty of fun to be had in this mass ride from Queens Park to City Hall.

Want to party with playwrights and lovers of theatre? The Playwrights Guild of Canada is throwing a party that will feature readings by playwrights David Henry Hwang and Judith Thompson. You’ll also get the chance to mingle with others and enjoy the food and drinks, so come out to support and celebrate Canadian playwrights.

There’s nothing quite like Saturday night music at Tranzac. For proof, check out this gig by Abigail Lapell, Gabe Levine, and Ben Hermann. This show’ll be part of the “early birds” series curated by Lapell. Also, watch a music video for Gabe Levine above.

Ready to boogie? If you’ve been missing the smooth sounds of yesteryear’s grooves, hop on over to this Motown Party for a night that’ll feature all your favourite artists. Expect to hear stuff from Steve Wonder, the Jackson 5, Diana Ross, and many more tracks all spun by DJ Shaydakiss. There will also be an all vinyl set by Brett Millius and Rev. Throwdown.

As part of the Toronto Jewish Literary Festival, don’t miss this poetry cabaret which brings together local authors for an evening of poetry and wine. The lineup includes Benjamin Hackman, Ronna Bloom, and Jacob Scheier who’ll be reading excerpts from their works that explore love and loss. Also, be sure to check out some of the other happenings of this literary festival here.

Ongoing…

The Inside Out LGBT Film and Video Festival is back for another year of cinema created for and about lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans (LGBT) people. The festival usually draws around 35,000 people and will be screening over 200 films during the two weeks it’s running. Click here to see some of our highlights from last year’s festival.

Sean Michael and Nicole Ascroft in The Melancholy Follies of Desolita & Clarence.

Multiple venues

All day

Over the next few days, don’t be surprised if you see a lot of red noses, yellow wigs, and rainbow-coloured suspenders around town. The Toronto Festival of Clowns is back with a trunk full of tomfoolery, plus plenty of great live performances.

Looking to brush up your cultural and history knowledge on all things Toronto? Heritage Toronto 2013 Tours offers you an enormous chance to learn tons and tons about the city you love via walking tours, bike tours, and more. Some of the events on the agenda of this weekly series include tours of Fort York, Korea Town, Don Valley, and Black Creek. It’s running all summer long so don’t miss out!

Eugene Hideaway Bridges played the 2012 Waterfront Blues, and is back this year. Photo courtesy of Waterfront Blues.

Woodbine Park (Eastern Avenue and Coxwell Avenue)

12 p.m.

Woodbine Park’s 9th Annual Waterfront Blues, the outdoor festival that bills itself as “metro Toronto’s only Blues festival,” runs for three days over this weekend. Aficionados of the music form will certainly recognize acts like Fathead. Past hit performers at the festival like Eugene Hideaway Bridges are back, as well as new performers (to the festival) like Deanna Bogart. The festival is all ages, and free to all.

If you’ve been paying attention to musical theatre news over the past two years, you know that The Book of Mormon has a passionate and devout following of fans who swear it’s the long-awaited saviour of the artform. The show won nine Tonys in 2011, the cast recording reached number three on the Billboard chart, and tickets for its Broadway run are rare and expensive.

Ben and Gus are on a job, holed up in a basement, wondering who is in charge, and waiting for “the call” in Harold Pinter’s The Dumb Waiter. Presented by Wordsmyth Theatre, the play ranges from tense and claustrophobic to ridiculous and surreal, while posing the question: how do you escape from a situation when there is no exit?

Canadian indie music label, Arts & Crafts, are celebrating their tenth anniversary. As part of the celebrations, they’re showing a new exhibition from Toronto photographer, Norman Wong. The exhibition features images of various artists over the years including Feist, Kevin Drew, Emily Haines, and many more. You’ll be able to buy a book of photography there and a portion of the proceeds from the event will go to Testicular Cancer Canada and MusiCounts.

One of the Fringe Festival’s greatest successes, and definitely Soulpepper’s biggest post-millennial hit, Ins Choi’s corner store comedy Kim’s Convenience returns for another extended run into the the summer season. Most of the principal cast, including Paul Sun-Hyung Lee as larger-than-life patriarch Appa, are back. Here’s our review of the first Soulpepper remount.

Delve into the world of dating, love, and marriage—sans commitment—with Angelwalk Theatre’s presentation of the off-Broadway musical I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change. Offered as a series of vignettes set to music, the show focuses on the disastrous, hilarious, and touching aspects of love and dating.

The Accidental Mechanics Group presents an evening of dark comedy, storytelling, and confessional theatre, all rolled into one solo performance. During El Camino or The Field of Stars, Stewart Legere assumes the role of the unnamed protagonist, recanting tales of a failed relationship, a disastrous trip to Italy, love, and the complexities of a young queer couple struggling with internalized homophobia.

Hold Mommy’s Cigarette is a one-woman show written and performed by Shelley Marshall (who was also nominated for Best Female Stand Up by the Canadian Comedy Awards). It tells an autobiographical tale of a street kid who grew up to be a world-renowned comedian. Directed by Linda Kash.

Gregory Prest as Count Almaviva and Dan Chameroy as Figrao in The Barber of Seville. Photo by Cylla von Tiedemann.

Young Centre for the Performing Arts (50 Tank House Lane)

2 p.m., 8 p.m.

In 1996, Theatre Columbus premiered playwright Michael O’Brien’s “freely adapted” take on the famous Beaumarchais play The Barber of Seville, which was written in 1775. O’Brien’s version mixed in music from the 1816 opera of the same name by Gioachino Rossini, as well as original tunes by composer John Millard. The adaptation also propelled the story forward a couple centuries, with pop culture references galore. With Theatre Columbus co-founder Leah Cherniak at the helm, the musical ended the season with six Dora Award nominations (it won three) and plenty of critical acclaim.

Seventeen years later, Soulpepper Theatre is remounting this zany reimagination of The Barber of Seville, updated once again by O’Brien, Millard, and Cherniak. But, for some reason—the change in decade, or company, or sense of humour—whatever had made the original so magical, has faded, save for a few key performances.